Composite cordage or twine



1934- M. c. DODGE I ,98

COMPOSITE CORDAGE OR TWINE Filed March 29, 1952 gwogntoa jf a'lo cxpo d e,

Patented Nov. 20, 1934 V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,981,312 COMPOSITE common a TWINE Milo 0. Dodge, Auburn, N. Y.

Application March 29, 1932, Serial No. 601,829 2 Claims. (01. 117-53 This invention relates to improvements in cordage and, particularly, to a novel form of twine or yarn and the method of producing the same.

Heretofore twines have been produced from 5 various grades of vegetable fibers, the quality and value of the finished product depending upon the nature of the fiber used and the finish or appearance of the surface of the product. Where the higher grade fibers are used as, for instance,

manila. or flax fiber, a very high grade of twine is obtained. Such twine not only possesses comparatively great strength but, twine composed of manila or flax fiber, inherently possesses a very smooth finish or exterior surface, without polishing, and is readily distinguishable in appearance from a twine made of a lower grade fiber. Lower grade twines are generally produced from fibers.

of shorter staple, such as jute fiber, a fiber that is of less length than manila and possesses considerably less strength than manila and flax fiber.

Likewise, it is practically impossible to produce a twine of jute fiber and obtain a smooth finish or surface onthe twinewithout polishingor incurring other extra costs. As mentioned, this difference in appearance is very marked in twines or yarns of the character described. There are also certain usages to which these types of cordage are put that makes it uneconomical to utilize a higher grade twine. For instance, wool sacks are usually made of jute twine or yarn and, if this twine has a comparatively rough finish, the protruding jute fibers become detached from the twine and become incorporated in the wool, especially when the sack is cut to release its contents, with the result that when the wool is formed into yarns the latter are imperfect and any cloth woven therefrom is likewise imperfect.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention seeks to provide a twine that will possess the necessary strength but which is composed essentially of the lower grade fibers, such as jute; and yet will have the desired smooth or non-contaminating finish, whereby such twine can be utilized in all instances where the jute twine has heretofore been utilized and, in most of those instances, with better results. At the same time, the finish or surface of the present twine will compare favorably with that of twines made up of higher grade fibers.

Another object is to produce a twine that will possess a high degree of softness whereby kinking of the twine will be eliminated, or reduced to a and whereby tight, snug knots may be easily tied in the twine. In the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of twine embodying the present improvements, a portion of the exterior surface of the twine being removed to illustrate the interior thereof;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modified construction for the twine, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of what might be termed the fiber center of the twine before the covering for the center is applied thereto.

In carrying out the present invention in commercial practice, the jute fiber is preferred although other grades of fiber may be utilized if desired. A sliver of this fiber is spun'into a regular yarn of a desired size and such spun yarn '70 constitutes the center 10 of the presenttwine. The yarn, or center 10, is then preferably thoroughly saturated, or impregnated, with a binder of adhesive properties, and a covering 11 of paper then wound, or twisted, on the center. Preferably the degree of twist and the direction of twist imparted to the respective elements, i. e., the fiber center and the paper covering compare with one another so that the finished twine will have the desired degree of softness, as will hereinafter be more fully described. Various forms of binder are capable of use, for instance, rubber latex or glue may be used but the former is preferred because the nature of thisbinder is such that it will saturate, or impregnate, the paper covering and impart to the latter a very smoothsurface, comparable with that of the present day high grade manila twine. r

As thus described, it will be appreciated that the rubber latex, or other binder, performs notoo only the ordinary usual function of a binder but it also accomplishes the further result of imparting'the desired high finish, or smooth surface, to the completed product, eliminating the possibility of contaminating other fibers such as wool, as has heretofore been mentioned in connection with ordinary jute fiber twine. In this way, there is produced a twine of the requisite strength from a relatively low grade fiber yet the finished produce will not only possess that desired strength 1 0' but it will also have the necessary high grade finish. Furthermore, the binder, as well as the paper covering, absolutely precludes detachment of individual fibers from the twine. As a result, the present product is highly adapted to some of the usages above mentioned, particularly in the production of wool sacks, where ordinary jute fiber twine is objectionable for reasons heretofore set forth and paper twine alone is objectionable due to its inability to stand up under n the pressures required in baling the wool. If

desired, the present product may be'made of any distinctive color, for instance, by using red colored paper, thereby facilitating removal of fragments of the product from other fibers when desired.

In the manufacture of the present produce and,

I particularly, where a soft twine is desired, the

fiber center may be spun with a given number of turns'in one direction and the paper cover then applied with a given number of turns in the opposite direction, there being a slight difierence .in the number of turns originally placed in the tight, snug knots may be easily tied. For instance, as shown in the accompanying drawing the fiber center 10 may be originally spun by twisting the fibers in one direction, as shown in I Fig. 3 and, when thepaper covering is applied, to

produce the finished product shown in Fig. 1, the paper is spiraled around the centerin the opposite direction but with a greater number of turns, per foot, than was originally given the fiber center, so that in the finished product, there is practically little twist .in the center 10, said centerin this instance then being twisted in the same direction as the covering. In producing the product illustrated in Fig. 2, the paper covering is spun on the previously spun fibers, being twisted in a direction opposite to the original twist of the fibers but, in this instance, the" number of turns, per foot, in the paper covering, when being applied, is slightly less than the number of turns originally given the spun fibers, so that, although the twist in the fibers is greatly reduced, there is still left in the center 10 a slight twist in the same direction as it was originally twisted. In both instances, the slight twist in the center 10 when the product is finishedis such as will give the desired softness to the twine.

Described a little more in detail, the product of Fig. 1 is preferably made up by spinning the fibers with fifteen turns to the left, per foot, and when the paper covering is applied the latter is given eighteen turns to the right, per foot, so that, in the finished product, the paper covering will have eighteen turns to the right, per foot,

\ and all of the original twist will have been taken out of the fiber center and said center given three turns, per foot, to the right. article of Fig. 2, the fibers are given twenty-one turns to the left, per foot, when they are originally spun and, when the paper covering is In producing the applied, the latter is given only eighteen turns,

per foot, to the right. In this way, the finished product will have a center wherein eighteen of the original twenty-one turns, per foot, in the fiber center have been removed and said center,

in the finisli'ed product, will have only three turns,

per foot,'t0 the left.

This application is a continuation of appli-v cants pending case, Serial No. 579,021, in so far as any subject matter common to the two cases is concerned.

What I claimis: 1. A twine composed of a twisted fiber center and a covering'of paper spirally twisted on said center to entirely cover and retain said center intact, the twist of the fibers of said center and said paper covering being sufiiciently low to impart softness and flexibility to the finished product, and a binder material incorporated in said twine in sufiicient quantity to aid the twist of the paper in retaining the covering on said center and to render the finished product stable without appreciably detracting from the softness and flexibility inherent in the product due to the low degree of twist of said center and covering, said twine being substantially non-kinking-and having a substantially smooth finish.

2. A twine composed of a twisted fiber center and a covering of paper spirally twisted on said center to entirely cover and retain said center intact, the twist of the fibers of said center'and said paper covering being sufliciently low to impart softness and flexibility to the finished product, the twist of the fiber center being opposite to that of the paper coveiiand a binder 

